The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks(火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr.Smith, a rich neighbour, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.
“ Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉) , even if it is only to pass the time ? ” said the blacksmith. “ Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you .”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“ How funny it seems, ” he used to say, “ even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”
【小题1】The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ___________.

How do you address(称呼) people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.

1. When talking to strangers there is often no special form of address in English. Usually, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger it is necessary to use such phrases as “Excuse me”.

2. In British English “Sir” and “Madam” are considered to be too formal for most situations. They are used mostly to customers in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam” are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with old people whose names you don’t know.

3. When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr., “Mrs.”, “Ms”, etc, before their family names.

4. There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, “pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men.

According to the passage, “Excuse me” is mainly used to _____.

   A. address a person you don’t know     B. apologize to others

   C. catch the attention of a stranger       D. suggest good manners

If John Smith is your best friend, according to the passage you should often call him _____.

   A. John        B. Smith         C. Mr. John       D. Mr. Smith

Which of the following is NOT true?

   A. “Sir” and “Madam” are used more often in America than in England.

   B. People often use “Mr.”, “Mrs.” or “Ms.” before the first names of those people who they don’t know very well.

   C. “Pal” and “mate” are usually only used among men.

   D. While addressing friends, people just use their first names.

The passage is mostly likely taken from an English _____.

   A. textbook        B. card         C. storybook        D. grammar book

It makes______ whether Mr. .Smith joins in our discussion or not.

A no sense　 B no difference　 C no point　 D no use

How do you address (称呼) people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.

1．When talking to a stranger there is often no special form of address in English. Usually，if you want to catch the attention of a stranger, it is necessary to use such a phrase as “Excuse me”．

2．In British English “Sir”and “Madam”are considered to be too formal (正式的)for most situations. They are used mostly to customers (顾客) in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam”are not so formal and are commonly used between stangers, especially with old people whose names you don’t know.

3．When you talk to some people you know，you can use their names.If you are friends, use their first names；if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr.”， “Mrs.”， “Ms.”， etc. before their family names.

4．There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers.However，many of these are limited in use. For example，“pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers，but are usually only used by men talking to other men.

1．According to the passage，“Excuse me” is mainly used to ________.

A．address a person you don’t know　　　 B．apologize to others

C．catch the attention of a stranger　　　　　 D．suggest good manners

2．If John Smith is your best friend，according to the passage you should often call him ________.

A．John 　　　　　 B．Smith　　　　　 C．Mr. Join 　　　　　D．Mr. Smith

3．Which of the following is NOT true?

A．“Sir” and “Madam”are used more often in America than in England.

B．People often use“Mr.”“Mrs.”or “Ms.”before the first names of those people who they don’t know very well.

C．“Pal” and “mate” are usually only used among men.

D．While addressing friends，people just use their first names.

4．The passage is most likely taken from an English ________.

A．textbook 　　　　 B．card　　　　 C．storybook 　　　D．grammar book

5．From the passages，we can infer that ________.

A．British English and American English have some differences

B．when your friends introduce a strange woman to you，you may call her first name.

C．“Excuse me” is common in Britain but not in America

D．“Sir” and “Madam” can be used when you meet your close friends

Having lived in the town for many years，Mr. Smith no longer felt ________ among the local people.

A．out of control　　　B．out of touch

C．out of place       D．out of use